President’s Report

It is with much pleasure that I present to you my Vice-President’s Annual Report for 2022. It goes without saying that the last couple of years have been quite a challenge for most of us in every aspect of our daily lives due to the COVID pandemic. Government mandated lockdowns significantly affected operations of our great club, and this has impacted significantly on our finances. We are now through the worst of these difficult times, and we can look forward to a sustained period of enjoying all the great facilities that the club has to offer.

The last 12-18 months did provide the Board and management of the club an opportunity to focus our attention on improving the sporting facilities that the club has to offer. The Veneto Club Board is very dedicated to ensuring that all our sporting facilities are of a very high standard so that we continue to be a sporting club of choice in the Manningham area.

The list of improvements is quite extensive i.e., new synthetic soccer pitch with state-of-the-art lighting and dressing rooms, improved road access to the Baracca, fencing around both soccer pitches, lighting upgrade to the Bocce drome, resurfacing of the basketball court and working with Vida Fitness to expand and improve our gym area.

Undoubtedly, the success of the Veneto Club sporting program would not be possible without the commitment and hard work of the staff and volunteers, that tirelessly dedicate themselves to ensure members and guests, have a very positive experience when patronising the club. My personal thanks go to Veneto Club staff members David Del Monaco, Karl Hodge, Karen Daley as well as the many hard-working volunteers who dedicate themselves week in week out to the sometimes painstaking tasks that need doing to help run a sporting club of this magnitude. To the members of the FC Bulleen Lions committee, Sonya Velo and her Bocce sub-committee and the Squash and Golf sub-committees, a very big thank-you!

On a more general note, I would also like to offer my thanks to the members that continue to give up their time to volunteer their services. These include the wonderful ladies of the Ladies Auxiliary, the Coro Veneto, NELP Sub Committee chaired by Frank Freschi and the Alpini who have been a fantastic recent addition to our Veneto Club. I would also like to acknowledge the continued hard work and dedication of our General Manager, Joe Morello and his staff. These past few years have been quite a challenge especially for those of us in the hospitality industry. Joe and his team have done a wonderful job to ensure that we are now able to mount a sustainable recovery.

Finally, I leave you with the wise words of my respected colleague and friend Fabio Sandona,

“Sempre avanti, Mai fermarsi!” It is with great enthusiasm that I pen this report, as it seems that we have passed through the COVID dilemma and come out the other end. The last two turbulent years seem to be a blur of horrid times which have now passed, and we embrace a new era of recalibrating and rebuilding our operations.

As I walked around the grounds recently, it was so pleasing to see thriving sporting and social activity around the club. Our sporting numbers are growing in squash and tennis, our numbers and achievements in my beloved bocce are becoming more frequent, and as for football it continues to flourish. Even more pleasing is the range of new and diverse events that have been very popular. Events such as the monthly Frittole classes that are always sold out and the Veneto language exhibition and film Na Storia Na Lengua: El Veneto that was attended by over 200 people each time. And as for the crostoli making - its humbling to receive the countless compliments about the taste and quality of our crostoli - made in true Veneto style, light and crispy with a beautiful gusto. They are made weekly by a group of relentlessly hardworking volunteers and sell out within a day of production. The Books & Bubbles events have also exposed a desire for us to stay connected with our Italian roots and culture.

This year we embarked on a membership drive to entice descendants (of current Foundation & Veneto members) to themselves become members of the Club. This has been quite successful in increasing our younger memberships and, also that of female members. This too reinforces to me and the rest of the committee that there is a true desire for us to stay connected to our heritage. We welcome any descendants of past Foundation and Veneto members to take up the special offer to become members of the Veneto Club – contact membership@venetoclub.com for more information about this offer.

Italian Clubs like ours are great employers of staff of all ages, especially for hospitality type roles, be it a mature aged person wanting to re-enter the workforce or for a younger person who wants a part-time role. For the young, our Club provides an opportunity to be exposed to the hospitality industry work environment and earn a reasonable income. But most importantly clubs like ours provide the opportunity for second, third and fourth generation Italians to stay connected with the Italian culture by mingling with our members, hearing Italian being spoken and experiencing events they are servicing, an intangible benefit of the job. I encourage you to promote our Club as an employment possibility with your children and grandchildren. If you would like to explore any employment opportunities at the Veneto Club – email operations@venetoclub.com.

As we turn our attention to 2023 change seems to be the theme that we must welcome, embrace and take the positive of whatever we are faced with. The North East Link Project will start to impinge on the Veneto Club more and more as the project gains momentum. There will be inconveniences and disruptions which we must accept but rest assured the Club will always be here, and always be open. The board is committed to negotiating the best possible outcome for our Club. And whilst the Sala Venezia renovations have been on hold for longer than we would have liked – we will refresh our plans for these and reassess how this might be implemented.

Next year we will try a range of different events to connect with members – its going to be an exciting time for us, so look out for these! But most importantly, in December 2023, the Veneto Club will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the building. This needs to be a celebration that is akin to the grand opening in 1973 and I can’t wait to be involved in the planning for this. The committee welcome any ideas you may have to add to the celebration of this mammoth milestone – email culture@venetoclub.com.

In closing, I remember my dad who was one of the founding members of the Veneto Club. He saw the vision for the Veneto Club, put in his contribution in the 1960’s and right up to his last days was a passionate member of the Veneto Club. Now its my duty and honour to be part of the next generation that continues this. I’m blessed to be part of the Veneto Club committee and work along likeminded people who all have the very best interests of the Veneto Club at the core of their being.